Wild-Animal Photos Capture Calm in Crisis

Annie Marie Musselman claims she’s not one of those “weird, overly spiritual dream-catcher people,” but says her time at the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center has shown her an intimacy with wild animals – an intimacy that’s reflected in her striking photo series, Finding Trust.

In one photo, for example, an injured owl lies on a medical table with its bright yellow eyes looking up with a sense of calm. It’s one of Musselman’s favorites – and one of her first – from the seven years she volunteered at the animal rescue and rehabilitation center.

A series about photographers who create innovative images of nature’s creatures.

“I felt a sense of trust and that’s maybe why I got that image,” she says. “I looked into its eyes and it felt like it was releasing itself to us, telling us to do what we needed to do to help it. I remember getting the film back [from the owl shoot] and thinking this is what I want do with my life! It was amazing.”

Musselman stumbled upon Sarvey at a hard time in her life. She grew up with parents who were Christian Scientists, and when her mom was dying of Parkinson’s disease back in 2002, the family didn’t talk about it, which she says is characteristic of the religion. Musselman packed away her anxiety, developing crippling panic attacks, which made her unable to fly or drive. Earning a living as a freelance photographer was difficult.

Then, in the fall of 2002 after her mom passed away, Musselman and her husband stumbled on an injured pigeon outside the Seattle Supersonics stadium late one night. Not knowing what to do with it, she called 911, who connected her to Sarvey, where someone agreed to drive 55 miles to come pick it up. The volunteers’ commitment led her to volunteer herself.

“They were the kind of people who had no problem walking around all day with a baby woodpecker in their shirts to make sure it stayed warm,” she says.” They were hardcore animal lovers who were willing to put everything aside to care for the animals. Sometimes they didn’t eat enough, they chain-smoked, etc.”

The animals provided a needed comfort, and she developed quick and strong relationships with them. She focused on the animals in a kind of meditative way. When helping an injured golden eagle or baby raccoon, all the other more human problems she carried around with her seemed to disappear.

At first she didn’t take photos because she didn’t want the organization thinking she was only there for herself. But over time she gained their trust and eventually brought in several cameras and a lighting setup to make the portraits and moments that fill the edit.

Today, Musselman no longer volunteers at Sarvey — she worked there until she was seven months pregnant with her daughter — but she’s gathered all the photos from her seven years into a book project, which she’s raising funds for on Kickstarter.

Animals continue to be a central theme in her work. She just finished another project at a wolf sanctuary and knows there is ample room to keep exploring.

“Many of us have cats and dogs but there are all these other animals out there in the world that are just as incredible,” she says.